The invention relates to vehicle suspension dampers.
Vehicle suspension systems are known which include a damper in which a piston slides within a fluid containing cylinder, the piston being connected to a piston rod which extends out of the cylinder. The piston rod and cylinder are connected between the body or chassis of the vehicle and the vehicle springs or axle. Damping is provided by fluid passages which restrict the flow of the fluid past the piston as the piston moves within the cylinder. In such a damper the passages are valve controlled to regulate the flow past the piston in both directions of movement of the piston and some include a gas region as well as hydraulic fluid.
However, such dampers do not provide a simple construction which allows controlled variable rate damping over a variety of operating conditions.
It is an object of the present invention to simplify the construction of a damper of a vehicle suspension system, which will permit effective variable rate damping.